Petals On A Wet Black Bough is the alias of David Roocroft, and the latest addition to the Everyone family. 'Turn The Car Around' is Roocroft's first 7" release for the label, and mighty fine it is too.

Roocroft, who hails from Manchester, was previously the lead guitarist in The Wandering Step and Former Bullies - even enjoying a stint as part of Daniel Johnston's live band.

'Turn The Car Around' is a single that's grounded in classic songwriting and self-production, and it's easy to draw parallels with the electro-acoustic wizardry of David Sitek. Roocroft's lyrics also highlight an admiration for the melancholic wanderings of Elliott Smith.

The B-side features 'In Your Sleep', another arresting piece of writing, haunted by arcing string bends and spectral blues of Loren Connors-like proportions.

Roocroft's first single is extremely promising and I'm eagerly anticipating the launch of an album. If this is the sort of quality we can expect, then Petals On A Wet Black Bough is certainly a name you'll come to hear more of.

The only thing I didn't really like, but this is more down to personal taste, was the gaudy CD cover. My eyes were seriously strained trying to make out the lettering (but then I am nearly 40!) This is certainly a single worth picking up.

To check out this single, and more from the artist, check out his Myspace page.

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Nick Smithson